"I'm not holding your hand." Said Seamus bitterly as they headed back to potions class.
"So you'll snog me but you won't hold my hand?" Dean mockingly asked.
"I'm not touching you in public, no offense." His face grew a bright red. Dean was still in too good of a mood to even care that Seamus didn't want to show public displays of affection. The deserted hall soon filled with the late-starters, the kids who would skip breakfast to sleep in longer. Seamus sighed in releif when he remembered this half of the school didn't see their kiss, not that they wouldn't hear about it later on.
They enetered the potions room and took seats on opposite sides of the room to attract less attention. The room quickly filled up, people seeming to avoid Seamus's open seat. He didn't know whether it was because he was possibly the worst potions partner out there or just because what happened earlier. Hermione Granger took her usual seat next to Dean, leaving only one seat left, next to Seamus.
Ron Weasly stumbled in the room a few minutes late, his face going blank when he realized the only open seat was next to Seamus. The Weasly was one of the few people who didn't seem to have a problem with Dean's gayness nor did he seem to accept it. He was one of the people who kept a respectable distance without being straight up rude. Ron awkwardly sat down across from Seamus, giving him a quick nod before paying attention to what Slughorn was saying.
"Was he mad?" Hermione asked Dean moments into class.
"He was at first, he wanted to be anyways, but he wasn't." He answered.
"Are you two gonna be couple now?" She asked hopefully.
"I dunno. He doesn't want to even sit next to me in public, does that answer your question?" Dean asked slightly annoyed.
"Sorry." She mumbled, looking down.
"No, it's fine. I don't mind the lack of PDA, I get where he's coming from but-"
"Something you'd like to share, Mr. Thomas?" Slughorn asked.
"Yeah he would! Go ahead and share how gay you and Finnigan are!" Crabbe laughed along with Malfoy and Goyle.
"Shut up!" Seamus yelled from across the room.
"That was highly innappropite, Mr. Crabbe! Ten points from Slytherin!" He lowered his voice as he turned to Dean. "And, Mr. Thomas, in the future, please have you personal conversations when I'm not trying to instruct my class? Five points." The proffesser continued to give instructions as the Slytherins still laughed as the shot looks at both Dean and Seamus.
These actions didn't go unnoticed by Seamus or anyone else for that matter. He swallowed hard, silently cursing Dean for kissing him only an hour ago. Didn't he know that Seamus wasn't strong enough to handle all the looks? The words? That he wasn't able to just ignore it? That everything that everyone said and did would forever be etched into his mind?
They began brewing, Seamus not even hearing what it was for. Ron searched around the table for a walnut, a key ingredient for the potion. Seamus found it first, picking it up and holding it out in his hand to the ginger boy. Anger filled him as Ron carefully removed from his hand with two fingers, careful not to touch the other boys skin.
"I'm not diseased, Ron." He snapped, shutting his book.
"Well I don't know where your hands have been." He muttered under his breath.
"What?" Seamus yelled loud enough for the entire class to hear. "Just because I prefer boys doesn't mean I touch every fucking penis there is, the same why you don't go around touching every girls vagina. Grow the fuck up, Ron." And with that, Seamus fled the room, ignoring the stares he was getting.
"Well!" Slughorn said after a brief silence. "That was interesting! Interesting class, wouldn't you say? Well, clean your cauldrons and you can all go."
"Um, 'Mione, do ya mind-?" Dean asked.
"Go get him." She smiled, pulling the cauldron over to her. He leapt out of his seat and left the class before anyone had moved. Searching the hall, he saw a flash as Seamus rounded the corner. Dean had to run to keep up, always a hall or a staircase away.
"Shay, wait!" He assumed that he would lead him back to the common room, but instead he only climbed higher in the school until they were heading up the owerly, Seamus finally forced to stop running once he reached the top.
"Ron's just an arse. Are you crying?" He asked, approaching his back. Seamus's eyes were wet, but he wasn't crying, that was the last thing he was going to do. Sure, words hurt, but he wouldn't let them yank him apart. "We only have a month left of school, that's not bad-"
"That's horrible, Dean!" He yelled, turning around. "We go home over the summer!" Seamus paused, hoping Dean would figure out why he was so horrfied, but the dark eyes only stared in confusion. "Me mum is at my home! Do you know what she'll do to me? She'll kill me! She'll-"
"Shh." He silence the short boy with a passionte kiss. "You'll be of age a week after schools out. You can come live with me then. My mom doesn't care, she loves it. Can you survive a week?"
"I won't survive ten minutes." Seamus moaned as he rested his forehead agiasnt Dean's chest. "If these kids don't kill me, me mum will."
They headed back to the common room in silence, both dreading what would happen once they returned. They entered to rather shocking scene. Ron was laying on the ground, cluthing the bridge of his nose. A crowd surrounded them, some cheering, some laughing, and others yelling horrible things at Hermione Granger, the girl who stood over him with balled fists. She was the only person who seemed to not notice their entry.
"Yes, I will defend them! Because their love is no different then anyone else's! Hate them in your head all you want, I can't do anything about that. But the moment you say something like you did in class to eitheir of them, you can bet your Weasly ass that I'll be the first person to hit you!" Hermione yelled.
"Whoa, Hermione said 'ass'." Harry laughed. "You pissed her off good, Ron." The ginger only turned to his best friend with an angry look as he scrambled up and headed for the door, pausing when he realized Seamus and Dean stood in his path. Despite the fact Hermione had just punched him for being rude to them, he gave them both a look of digust before shoving Dean out of his way.
"Oh! Dean, Seamus! Sorry, I couldn't help it, he-" She started once she realized they were in the room.
"You're brilliant, Hermione, really." Dean smiled, walking over to hug her.
"She is." Harry added. "Just so you two know, if you guys wanna...you know, be a couple in here, no one really gives a damn except for Ron, and well, the Slytherins, but other than that-"
"Not all Slytherins are like that!" Lavender inserted herself into the conversation. "For one, Blaise Zabini is gay, as you all know. Second and most imporantaly, my girlfreind is a Slytherin!"
All Dean could do was smile. He was so happy that he acted in his stupid impulse to kiss Shay in front of everyone. In just one day, in a little over an hour, Hermione showed everyone who was boss and Lavender might finally go public with Pansy. He glanced over to see a blank faced Seamus. He wasn't exactly sure what he should feel. The bullying might stop in the Gryffindor tower, but not anywhere else.